Bruised Chapter 7
Title: Bruised
Pairing: Yoochun x Junsu, evil!Yunho x Jaejoong (slight)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: They will never be mine unless I manage to find a way to kidnap them and hide them in my closet 8D
Genre: AU, angst, drama, romance
Length: Chaptered
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, violence, abuse
Summary: Junsu's life has been a mess since his parents divorced two years ago. When it seems like there's no more hope left for his future, Yoochun appears into his life. Will Yoochun be able to change Junsu's lifestyle? Or will his good intentions make things even worse for Junsu?
Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6
Chapter 7
“Where are you going?” the cold voice of Yunho echoed through the empty hallway, the threatening tone sending shivers down Junsu’s spine. Before the young boy could think of a method to escape (we’re talking about an escape with a high success rate because trying to jump a hole through the wall wouldn’t be very… well, rational), Jaejoong and Yunho inched closer to him.
“I… I have an appointment,” Junsu stammered, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment and nervousness. He didn’t know if he had just imagined the threatening tone in Yunho’s voice but it certainly didn’t seem like that. But why would he sound threatening towards him? The only thing he had been saying to Yunho and Jaejoong the past years were his greetings. He hadn’t wronged them. Junsu let out a breathe, relaxed his shoulders and put on his poker face. Right. He could talk himself out of this. Or well, that’s what he hoped with all his might. “If you could excuse me…” he mumbled, trying to shuffle away.
“Again?” Jaejoong said, putting his arm against the wall, his face coming closer and closer to Junsu’s. As Jaejoong spoke, Junsu swore he smelled the faint fragrance of vanilla. His heart started thumping faster and faster as he realized there was no way for him to escape. “I don’t think you have attended any PE lesson this whole year… you’ve always been ill or you always had something to attend. That’s very curious, isn’t it?” Jaejoong tilted his head slightly as if asking a question but Junsu knew that his words weren’t meant as questions.
He swallowed. He was definitely in trouble and there was only a slight possibility that he would be able to escape. Junsu tried to look for any way to escape, maybe even a teacher to save him… but there was nothing. Little beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, slowly trickling down his face. “I’ve always had an unstable health. This requires frequent visits to the doctor to monitor everything. I wouldn’t want to miss anything important classes so PE is the only possibility I have left. Now, I have to catch my bus…”
Again, he tried to walk away but Jaejoong’s arm didn’t budge. Irritation was written in Junsu’s eyes, for a moment overshadowing the obvious fear. What the hell was this? “Then… why did you never go to the doctor? You always went to hmmm… the library, book stores, the supermarket and sometimes, you even stayed in the canteen. But you never went to the doctor. Care to explain?” A small and triumphant smile appeared on Yunho’s face.
“Did you send someone to shadow me? Tch, as if you’ve never skipped school.” Junsu spat. The smile on Yunho’s face grew even wider, his white teeth almost blinding Junsu. God, how he wanted to hit that smile off his face.
“So you’re admitting that you’ve been skipping classes? Well, we should definitely teach you some lessons, Junsu-yah,” the evil glisten that appeared on both faces didn’t escape Junsu’s attention. Another shiver ran down his spine as he didn’t know if their words were meant figuratively or literally. Or maybe even both.
Before Junsu could say another word, he felt both men grab one of his arms and they started to pull him through the hallway. He tried to struggle, he tried to pull his arms out of the iron grips of the men, he tried to kick their feet and legs, he tried to scream for help and he tried to bite the hand which covered his mouth… but he wasn’t strong enough for the men who went at least four times a week to the sport school. What were they going to do with him? Desperate tears were fighting their way to his eyes but he refused to cry.
Before he knew it, they were standing in the locker room. Junsu still struggled, afraid of the intentions these boys had. They already knew he had been skipping school… they had been shadowing him or they had sent someone to shadow him… what if… what if they knew? His insides turned into ice just thinking about that possibility.
He could see the strange looks his classmates gave them when they entered. He could see Changmin’s surprised face and he could see the smiles on the faces of the friends of Yunho and Jaejoong. Junsu just knew that this wasn’t going to end well.
“We’ll show everyone what will happen when you make fun of us.” The loud voice of Yunho echoed through the locker room. Junsu could barely register anything that happened around him, still trying to break free from the iron grip of Yunho and Jaejoong.
“I see your little friend Yoochun isn’t here yet,” Jaejoong smirked, “but boy, will he be surprised when he’ll see you. He’ll never try to degrade us ever again.”
So… Yoochun was the reason of this? Junsu bit his lip, his eyes wandering through the locker room. He had finally stopped struggling at the revelation of the real reason behind this all, too surprised to move his limbs. Before he could stop himself, he burst out laughing. The surprised faces of Yunho and Jaejoong revealed that this had been a wrong moment to laugh - that, or they thought that he had gone insane. Well, either way, he wasn’t going to bow down for them and kiss their asses. Not when Junsu knew they had other plans for him. Or well… plans for Yoochun.
“Really? Is this the reason you’ve been doing this? Why you’ve been following me for days, probably even weeks? Is this the reason? Your damn pride?” Junsu chuckled, “You want to take revenge on Yoochun only because he didn’t want to become friends with you? And wait… you’re using me to carry out these sick plans? You guys are pathetic.”
Before he had even pronounced the last syllable of his sentence, he felt a pain shooting through his stomach. He gasped for air, his arms flying free from the stern grip of Yunho and Jaejoong as they hurried to cover his stomach. At the same time, all the energy seemed to disappear from his legs and his knees gave out. Staring at the floor, he huffed in pain, surprised that his classmate would punch him this easily.
He could hear the sudden outbursts of gasps and whispers from his surroundings but nobody seemed to dare to say anything. Junsu chuckled, the sound drenched with contempt. He knew that Yunho and Jaejoong were big in his class, they were rich and popular people nobody dared to thwart. But this…? He hadn’t expected their power to be this big, to the point that his classmates wouldn’t even dare to help him when Yunho and Jaejoong were obviously abusing their power.
As soon as the unexpected sound of his laughter escaped from his mouth, he could feel the long fingers of someone, probably Yunho, grip his hair firmly, pulling his head back. From the corner of his eye, Junsu could sense the head of the boy coming closer and closer, until Yunho’s mouth was only a few inches apart from his ear. His mouth opened and moved slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly even though he was whispering. “You think this is funny? I guess you’ve become immune to beatings,” Yunho paused before continuing, a slight smile painting his face, “seeing you had to experience so many of them at home.”
He knew. The expression of utter shock appeared on Junsu’s face as fear started to spread through his insides, turning his whole body cold. Shit. He knew. Who else knew? Junsu’s eyes darted through the room but all he saw were those awful smiles. Those awful grins, telling him his social life was going to end as soon as everyone in this small room would hear about his little secret. Shit, shit, shit!
Shocked thoughts started to jump through each other, emotions began to swirl around each other and all that was left was confusion, panic and utter fear. He could feel the hand tighten its grip on his hair, followed by a harsh pull but he didn’t have the energy anymore to fight them. Junsu knew… he knew if he’d resist, he knew that Yunho would betray his secret. He knew that his stinging eyes filled with panic would betray him soon by spilling over salty moisture. But he refused to cry. He wouldn’t give the little dignity he had left to these pathetic guys.
Suddenly, a quiet but strong voice spoke. “You should stop this. Junsu hasn’t done anything wrong to you and neither did Yoochun. Is it wrong to voice your opinion? South-Korea isn’t a stratocracy and neither is our class. If you want to fight this out with Yoochun, I won’t stop you, but do it fairly and don’t use innocent people.” Surprised, Junsu searched to find the source of the voice, though he knew who had spoken without even thinking. His body had reacted to the calm and clear voice, yearning to break free from the cold hands and go to the warm and gentle person. Yet, the cold hands kept their strong grip on his arms and hair, not allowing him to go to Changmin.
He saw Changmin standing up, his normally innocent face serious and furious. No, please don’t let him do anything stupid... He had never seen this side of his friend before; Changmin’s eyes seemed to throw fire as he moved closer to Yunho. This was a side he had never seen of his friend, a friend who had never dared to break any rules. But also a friend who didn’t just stand by the sidelines when he saw injustice or when he saw his own friends getting hurt.
“Aw, how cute. So you’re taking the side of your helpless friend? I had expected a wiser decision from such a smart person as you.” Jaejoong said, laughing. He was soon joined by his friends, a few of them bursting out in laughter while others chuckled nervously. Without any warning, Junsu could feel a hard fist connect with his jaw, so hard that the iron grip of Yunho on his hair couldn’t stop his frail body from flying through the room.
A surprised yelp escaped from his lips as soon as his body made contact with the floor. Panting while trying to ignore the pain, he stumbled back on his feet as he tried to look at his two classmates with the most hateful glare he could come up with. He probably appeared disorientated and dizzy instead of strong and full of hate but well… did that matter right now?
His gaze, however, was caught by a tall figure walking so fast that his already dizzy brain could only register a blurry motion before he heard a fist making contact with skin, followed by a yelp of pain. “Fucking bastard, fight like a man!” Changmin spat, his voice drenched with nothing but despise as he panted, his chest heaving from the effort it had taken him to put all his power into that one blow.
Jaejoong bit his lip, his normally beautiful face contorted in anger, and for a second, Junsu knew this was going to end badly. He saw Jaejoong’s body moving closer to Changmin, his arm pulled out, hand balled into a fist… but before Junsu could do something to stop his classmates from beating each other to a bloody pulp, a low chuckle escaped from Yunho’s lips. Surprised, everyone’s attention turned to the tall guy who walked towards Jaejoong and put a hand on his shoulder, a gesture obviously meant to calm the boy down.
“Changmin is right. I’ve changed my mind. We shouldn’t use unfair methods like this. We should fight like men… but well, Junsu has been absent for so many times. Wouldn’t it be great if he’s going to join our little PE lesson? I think that the first step is going to be… changing into other clothes. Your appointment can wait, my boy,” Yunho said as he nodded slowly.
Immediately after he said these words, Junsu could see Jaejoong changing directions and inching closer to him. His heart stood still as Junsu slowly moved backwards. No, no, no, this wasn’t happening. He wished he could disappear from this mess and prevent the plans of his classmates. He knew they were vain… he knew they cared about their reputation… but he had never thought they would go this far.
Everything went into slow motion. The whole room watched, some people too confused to realize what was going to happen while other people looked disapprovingly, though at the same time Junsu swore he saw a glint of curiosity in their eyes. He saw mouths moving, some whispering to each other while others were screaming words his mind didn’t seem to register. He saw the evil glint in Jaejoong’s eyes as he slowly moved closer and closer, he saw Jaejoong slowly stretching his hand out, reaching for his shirt… and before Junsu knew it, Jaejoong’s hand had been placed firmly on his shirt, slowly balling into a fist, ready to show the whole class his bruised stomach.
“What are you doing?” a calm and low voice sounded through the locker room. Everyone’s attention shifted to the newcomer and even Jaejoong halted for a few seconds. Those seconds were enough for Junsu to regain his composure as his trembling hands pushed Jaejoong far, far away from him. Without even realizing, his feet were moving and he was running as fast as he could towards the door, a desperate attempt to escape from this nightmare.
He knocked the newcomer from his path as he kept running and running, his feet moving faster than they had ever done before. He had to run, he had to run before people would realize what had been going on… Junsu knew Yunho and Jaejoong were one of the most athletic people of his class, no, even of his school. But he had to try. He had to outrun them.
He was running through the hallways, knocking students out of his way, fear pumping through his veins as he was too confused to even register any obstacles in his path. He was running. His heart was beating into his ears, blood was rushing to his head and his lungs were trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible as his burning legs kept moving.
He didn’t dare to look back. Not even when his desperate fingers had finally opened the door, the door to freedom, not even when his feet had stepped onto the fresh fallen snow and not even when his body had left the school ground. He kept running, running away from that place with people who had intended to hurt him. That place with people who had intended to reveal his secret.
Finally, after he had removed himself far enough from that hell, he stopped. Only then did he realize that it was snowing. Only then did he realize why his lungs had been throbbing with each inhale he had taken, the painfully cold air cutting through his air pipe. Only then did he realize that his heart had been beating too fast for his own good, his warm and sweating body contrasting strongly against the cold, cold air. Only then did he realize the tears of hurt running down his face and only then did he realize that they had frozen on their way down. Only then did he realize that every breath he took was painfully cold and every breath he exhaled formed clouds into the air. Only then did he realize that it was freezing outside, white crystals falling down the sky, and only then did he realize that he was standing outside without his jacket.
Only then did he realize he had no idea where he really was.
~
“What are you doing?” Yoochun asked, his low and calm voice contrasting starkly against the turmoil in his body. He didn’t know what he had to do in order to prevent Yunho and Jaejoong from hurting Junsu, from revealing his secret, but he was willing to do anything to stop them. The first step was keeping his composure and finding a way to get Junsu out of here.
Many heads turned into his direction and his words halted Jaejoong for a few seconds. Those seconds were enough for Junsu to make use of the opportunity as he pushed Jaejoong away and continued to run as fast as his legs could carry him to the doorpost. Yoochun could just barely dodge his friend as he ran away. Err… apparently, the first step had been easier to fulfill than he had thought. Too bad he hadn’t thought further than the first step.
“Go after him, Siwon,” Yunho gestured to a tall and handsome boy. Siwon was perfect for Yunho’s group of brainless henchmen; he was handsome, rich, had chocolate abs that would make every girl swoon, and had as much brains in his head as Yoochun had in his little pinky. As soon as Siwon made an effort to go after Junsu, Yoochun returned back to the doorway, his body blocking the exit. There was no way he was going to win a fight against Yunho and his friends but it was definitely worth losing a few teeth if he could save Junsu with it.
“Too bad I’m not letting you leave,” Yoochun said, a faint smile painting his face as his fist made contact with Siwon’s jaw. After that, everything seemed to speed up. He heard screams, probably a few shocked ones from his classmates mixed with the scream of pain coming from Siwon’s mouth, and he heard Yunho yelling things he didn’t register. He jumped on top of the boy who had fallen on the floor after the blow and suddenly, he was fighting with one of the strongest boys in his class, his fist making contact with everything he managed to hit.
He heard Siwon cursing as Siwon’s own hands found their way to Yoochun’s chest, trying to push him off his own chest. However, Yoochun refused to move; no way he was going to be such an easy match. Fist after fist made contact with Siwon’s face, his chest, and it was so weird to find himself actually stronger than this opponent. It was true that Yoochun had worked out in the States but he hadn’t done anything since he first arrived in Korea. Also, he wasn’t as muscular as the boy beneath him.
However, his joy was short-lived. Suddenly, he felt firm hands on his shoulders, pulling him off Siwon. Yoochun had only enough time to realize it was Yunho before he felt a hard blow against his jaw. He didn’t even feel the pain anymore, adrenaline rushing through his veins, as Yoochun fought back. Each blow was filled with hatred towards his classmate, each strike was filled with despise and each slap was filled with as much power as he could muster. Each blow, strike and slap was for Junsu.
Yoochun was sure he had hit Yunho more times than Yunho had hit him and he knew that Yunho would be hurting like hell after today. The more, the better.
“PARK! JUNG! KIM! SHIM! CHOI! STOP IT.” Yoochun’s moment of glory was short-lived as the booming voice of his teacher sounded through the room. The sound of authority stopped everyone in the room, though Yoochun couldn’t help himself but continue to stare with utter disgust and hate at Yunho. His attention soon shifted as he noticed that the entire locker room had been in complete chaos. Several guys were standing by the teacher and Yoochun assumed they had gotten the teacher here. Some guys were standing helplessly, their hands useless in the air as if they had been trying to calm everyone down. Others were standing, laughing, as if they had picked a team to support. But the person who had grabbed his attention was Changmin.
His face was one bloody mess, his lip and nose bleeding and his left eyelid was drooping over his swollen eye. That wasn’t going to look nicely in a few hours… There was blood on his fist too and Yoochun’s gaze shifted to Jaejoong, who was looking even worse than Changmin. Something in him was happy to see how much damage Changmin had done to the pretty face of that jerk. Served him right.
There was also Siwon who looked beaten up as well, though not nearly as bad as Jaejoong. But... Yoochun hadn't beaten him that much, had he? And then… it dawned upon Yoochun how strong Changmin must be. He hadn’t noticed Changmin fighting on his side and neither had he noticed him taking on two boys at the same time. What the hell? Yoochun had always seen the boy with his nose in the books, always answering the teacher’s questions… he had never thought him to be this strong.
“COME WITH ME. NOW. You guys are going to the headmaster.” the voice of their teacher sounded and Yoochun would have definitely obeyed him... if it wasn't for the fact that he suddenly realized the reason why they had been fighting.
Shit! Where was Junsu now?
"I'm sorry, but I have to do something first. I'll go to the headmaster tomorrow," Yoochun said, running before the teacher could realize what the boy had really said. He heard shouts behind him, even an I'll get you expelled if you don't come now, Park! but he didn't care. Junsu was more important at the moment. And he was sure that his mother would be able to bribe his school with money anyway.
Running, he grabbed his jacket from the rack and hurried outside. He didn't pay attention to the falling snow as he grabbed his phone, dialing Junsu's number. After a few seconds, a wave of relief flowed through him as he heard a trembling but familiar voice. "H-hello?"
"Jesus, Junsu, where are you?" Yoochun said, still running even though he had no idea if he was going to the right direction. His face was painfully throbbing though he didn't know if it was because of the cold or because of his injuries. He didn't even know what he looked like right now - maybe he looked like a thug, maybe he looked like a helpless boy but he certainly didn’t look like a prince.
"I-I don't know," the trembling voice on the other line said, followed by a short silence. It was a silence broken by the sound of chattering teeth and it almost sounded as if Junsu was crying, though Yoochun couldn't tell for sure. "I'm so scared... it-it's so cold..."
"Shit, Junsu, please describe me how the neighborhood looks like. Can't you ask a passerby?" Yoochun said, trying to keep his composure though this was practically impossible. "Please tell me, do you remember which direction you went after you left the school?"
"I-I don't know... I think to the right but I'm not sure... e-everything seems so blurry," Junsu's voice spoke. Yoochun was sure that he was sobbing right now and it broke his heart to hear his friend like this. "I have no idea where I am... all I see is snow and trees and it's s-so cold."
Snow and trees? It didn't sound as if Junsu was close to civilization. "Stay calm, stay calm... I'm here with you." Yoochun said, running to the right. There were several footprints on the snow and Yoochun was sure that one of them had to belong to Junsu. The further he seemed to get from his school, the less footprints there were left. Fresh snow was falling from the sky but the footprints were still clearly visible. "Calm down... try to remember how you walked."
"I think... I think I went to the left at the roundabout though I-I'm not sure." Junsu said after a short silence. That was enough for Yoochun to realize which footprints were from Junsu. Not many people had been walking on the freshly fallen snow and the footprints he had been following since school were the only footprints who had turned to the left. He was pretty sure that they were Junsu's.
~
All he heard was Yoochun's voice. His low voice was the only thing that kept him from going insane. He was surrounded by snow, trees and one single road and his surroundings didn't seem familiar at all even though he had lived his whole life in Seoul. There were no houses, only a few buildings looking like they could collapse every moment, and the few people who walked by looked very sinister. There were no cars and the only thing that connected him with society seemed to be his phone.
Even though he was so scared of the few people walking by (what if they were sent by Yunho? What if they wanted his money? What if they wanted his virginity?), nobody seemed to particularly care about the trembling boy sitting on the ground. He was listening to Yoochun's voice, only humming once in a while to appear interested in the conversation, though really... all he really wanted was hearing Yoochun's voice. He didn't care about what his friend was saying.
And then, without a warning... the line went dead.
What?! Panicked, Junsu looked at his phone but no matter what he did, all he saw was a black screen. Right, the moment he needed his phone the most, his battery decided to die. Well, if this wasn't a moment to post on FML... too bad the only method he had to post it there was, well, his phone.
But suddenly, he found himself all alone in the middle of nowhere. Fear intruded his cold body and thoughts started to race through his head. Without the soothing and calming voice of Yoochun in his ear, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He had to get out of here. Suddenly, the uninterested people who had walked by a few minutes seemed a lot more interested into him. Suddenly, he felt so vulnerable while the feeling of security had been wrapped tightly around him just a moment ago.
Shit, shit, shit, he had to get out of here.
He stood up, his legs trembling as he could feel the blood rushing back to his legs. His whole body was shivering, only protected from the cold by two layers of clothing, one thinner than the other. Little white crystals were still falling from the sky, instantly melting when they made contact with his skin.
He started walking, walking away from this unknown place with scary people. Junsu had no idea where he had to go but the first thing he had to do was getting to a place where he was able to muster enough courage to ask directions. The best thing he could do was walking back the path he had taken to get here - if he could still remember that.
Fear was bottling up in his small body as he walked as fast as possible. His numb body was slowed down by the cold, shivering with each step he took, and he could swear that people were staring at him causing his discomfort to grow even more. He started to walk faster and faster, his sped up breathing leaving little clouds in the air.
And then... suddenly, he saw a person running towards him. He seemed vaguely familiar and even though Junsu didn't know for sure if it was Yoochun, a spark of hope lit through him. His pace sped up, the distance between him and the stranger decreasing rapidly.
Before he knew it, he was in the arms of Yoochun. He shut his eyes as he buried his face in the chest of Yoochun, inhaling the familiar scent of his friend. The scent that told him that everything was okay, that he was safe, that Yoochun was here. And before he knew it, he was sobbing. His entire body shook as tears of relief rolled over his cheeks. All the tension seemed to disappear from his body now that he knew that Yoochun was here for him.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry… I’m here…” the soothing voice of Yoochun whispered in his ear. It made Junsu cry even harder and he pulled Yoochun closer to his own small frame. Hands started rubbing his arms, calm words were whispered into his ear and Junsu had never felt so safe, so warm and so loved before.
“I’m so happy… so happy you found me. So happy you saved me.” Junsu whispered, his breath hitching with every word he spoke. It was humiliating to show this side of him, this weak and vulnerable side, but at the same time he didn’t care. The events that had occurred the last two hours had made him feel so scared, so cold and so vulnerable. Now that Yoochun had appeared at his side, radiating warmth and strength, Junsu felt safe again. He felt whole again.
Even though he would have been able to stand like this for ages, Yoochun soon pulled away. “You little crybaby,” he laughed when he saw Junsu sobbing his eyes out. His big hands reached out, his slender fingers wiping the falling tears away gently. “This is the last time I want to see you cry. In the future, there will be no reason to cry. I’ll make you happy, I’ll protect you.”
Junsu’s cheeks turned red when he heard those words. Yet, he couldn’t suppress the little smile appearing on his face and soon, he found himself laughing through the tears.
“So don’t cry anymore, okay?” Yoochun said, his voice gentle, before his face slowly moved closer. Junsu’s heart started beating faster and faster… and then, he felt soft lips making contact with his cheeks as they kissed away his falling tears. When the lips finally reached his left eye, Yoochun repeated the same process with his right cheek. “Don’t cry anymore,” he whispered softly.
Junsu smiled, genuine happiness touching his eyes. “I won’t.”
“That’s a promise then,” Yoochun smiled. After those words, he pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “You silly, your lips are all blue. Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?”
Even though Junsu protested - he had never felt so warm and happy in his whole life - Yoochun ignored it and soon, Junsu found his jacket draped on his shoulders. He opened his mouth to protest again but it was only then that Junsu realized how bad Yoochun looked. A gasp escaped from his lips as he observed the beaten up face of his friend. “Jesus, what happened to your face?” he said, his eyes widening in shock. He reached out his hand, carefully touching the split lip of his friend.
“Yeah, Yunho,” Yoochun grimaced but then he continued with a smirk on his face, “Don’t worry, girls will love this. Especially if they hear the story behind it. And really… Yunho is looking ten times worse than me right now, I bet his mother will faint when she’ll see her son’s beautiful face. The same goes for Jaejoong, though I think his mother will get an instant heart attack. You should have seen Changmin, Junsu! He took on Jaejoong and Siwon at the same time on his own. I can’t believe how strong he is!”
“Ch-changmin? He beat up Jaejoong and Siwon?!” Junsu exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. How was that even possible? Many girls had been drooling over the athletic build of the two guys, always exclaiming how strong they were and how handsome they were. They were known for their strength. However, Changmin had been someone who had been known for… well, his intelligence. Junsu would have never expected Changmin to be able to take on Jaejoong, let alone Jaejoong and Siwon at the same time.
“You should have seen them,” Yoochun chuckled, “They were probably expecting a fast win when they took on Changmin but really… Jaejoong’s pretty face is near unrecognizable right now. Serves him right.”
“His face is… unrecognizable? Changmin did that for - for me?” Junsu stuttered, dumbfounded.
“His face fits his personality now. Let’s see how many girls he will attract in the coming days,” Yoochun chuckled. “But we should walk back, shouldn’t we? I don’t like the looks we’re getting from the people around us. Guess they’ve never seen true love.”
Junsu laughed. “I guess they have never seen two guys who are in love with each other.”
“Well, then we should give them a good look, right?” a mischievous smile appeared on Yoochun’s face before he pulled Junsu closer, their lips meeting again.
~
It had been a long time since Junsu had felt this good. He felt so light, his mind floating in pink clouds, and every step he took seemed weightless. Instead of walking, it seemed as if he was soaring. It was hard when he had to say goodbye to Yoochun but Junsu knew he didn’t have to be greedy. This was just the beginning of their relationship and there were many more days to come.
He had never thought he could have been homosexual. But it didn’t seem to be wrong, not when it was so easy to be around Yoochun, not when Yoochun was able to make him feel alive again. Of course, it was hard to be homosexual in Korean society… but Junsu already knew that as long as he had Yoochun, he would be able to deal with it. Together, they would stand strong.
Why should he be judged when he was just falling in love like every other human being? He couldn’t control who he’d love. And Junsu knew… if he wasn’t allowed to love Yoochun, he’d rather not love anyone at all. His heart was fluttering, butterflies were flying through his stomach and he seemed to soar. He didn’t feel like a whole different person, now that he had realized that he was homosexual. He only felt happier.
With a carefree smile on his face, he unlocked the door to his house. As soon as he opened the door, the tense atmosphere hit him. His face fell immediately and his eyes searched through the rooms. There was something off. The smell of cigarettes intruded his nose as he moved further into his house and his body tensed up. It had been so long since his father had smoked.
Shit. And his father had just realized his own mistakes yesterday. What could this possibly mean?
Junsu’s question was soon answered as he found his father sitting on the couch, bringing a lit cigarette to his lips. The empty bottles of alcohol on the table and the ground were alarmingly many and every single cell in his body was screaming to him to get out of here. However, his body refused to move, frozen to the ground.
“So there you are… son of a bitch,” his father spit, jumping up from the couch. Seeing how many he had drunk already, it surprised Junsu how well his father’s balance was. He didn’t have much time to admire it, though, as his father lunged to him. Before Junsu knew it, he was running. He didn’t care anymore, as long as he got out of here. He wasn’t going to behave like the good son and get beaten up again.
His father stumbled after him but with the amount of alcohol he had drunk, it was hard to go after his son. The door came closer and closer to Junsu and he stretched his arm out, ready to open it as soon as he could touch the door handle. To his relief, he reached the door in time, his father still stumbling somewhere in the hallway.
Junsu put pressure on the handle, wanting it to go down so he could open the door… but then, he realized he had locked the door from the inside when he had entered. Shit! He rumbled through his pockets, frantically searching for his keys. To his relief, he quickly found them but just when he was about to put them into the lock, he could feel strong hands around his throat.
His father pushed him against the wall and lifted him up, leaving Junsu gasping for air. The long fingers of his father tightened around his throat and Junsu didn’t even feel the keys slipping out of his hand, the only thing he wanted to do was breathe. He frantically began to struggle, kicking and hitting without having a goal. Pain started to cloud his mind as the lack of oxygen made it hard to think.
“Filthy bastard. You told your classmates I’ve been beating you up? You told your classmates you were planning to run away? No way I’m letting you! Beating you? Ha, I’ll show you what beating you up is. Planning to run away? When I’m done with you, you’re lucky if you can even crawl.” His father spit, tightening the hold on Junsu’s throat even more.
His eyes started to roll back into his head, black dots painting his vision. His lungs were burning and he was in desperate need of air. He wasn’t able to find the energy to struggle against the strong hold of his father and his arms and legs dangled lifelessly in the air. Junsu tried to find words, words to talk some sense into his father’s head, but he looked like a fish on the dry as his lips opened and closed, not enough oxygen to talk properly.
He was choking.
But he didn’t want to die yet. Not when he had just discovered true love.
His eyes started to burn and soon, tears found their way down his cheeks. “D-d-da-ad,” he gasped, each syllable hard to pronounce, “st-st-op.”
He was sure he was going to die. He was sure he would never see Yoochun’s face again. His beautiful face. His beautiful smile. Junsu didn’t know how he managed to sob, to sob while he could barely find the energy to move. He didn’t know how he managed to sob when his vision was invaded with black spots and he had barely any energy to keep his eyes open.
And then… the pressure on his throat disappeared. Junsu fell on the ground, his body limp, as he gasped for air. He was coughing, trying to cough the irritation in his throat away, but at the same time he was trying to fill his lungs with as much air as possible. This resulted in another coughing fit and when this was finally over, he lay on the ground, feeling like a big and useless garbage bag.
He felt so pathetic.
The only thing he could do was gasp for air, his breathing irregular, as he laid on the ground. His body was trembling uncontrollably and he seemed to have no energy left to stand up and face his father. A bitter smile appeared on Junsu’s face. How long did he have to continue living like this? How would Yoochun react when he’d see this pathetic appearance of him? When he had sacrificed his own body to keep Junsu’s secret protected?
“You’re so pathetic. Telling those lies to your friend,” his father said and Junsu could feel a pain shooting through his abdomen as his father kicked him. He gasped for air as he tried to make himself as small as possible, his arms curling protectively around his body.
“What friend? I didn’t tell anyone,” Junsu said, panting because of the pain. Technically, that wasn’t true but he was certain that Yoochun wouldn’t tell anyone else about his secret. And except for Yoochun, he hadn't told anybody.
“You’re even lying to me? Your own father? I should have raised you better, you’re still taking after that bitch,” his father spit, a look of disgust painting his face, “Your friend called. Yun-Yunhee or something? Yunhae? Yunho? I can’t rememberrrrr… He told me he was going to call the fucking child welfare centre. Well, let’s see if you dare to talk when I’m done with you. Let’s see if you’re still able to talk.”
Yunho? Yunho did this to him? Junsu hissed, disgust written all over his face. He couldn’t believe that Yunho was so burned on ruining his life like this. Suddenly, he felt strength returning to his legs and he scrambled to his feet. He was done with it. He would show everyone that he was stronger than he seemed. He would show everyone that he could fight for his life. He would show Yunho who thought he was an easy target. He would show Yoochun that he wasn’t a fragile being but someone who was able to protect him as well. He would show his father who needed to get back to his senses.
Yunho couldn’t ruin his life like this. His father couldn’t ruin his life like this. Why did he always have to suffer because of his father’s mood swings? What had he done wrong? “Dad, I think you’ve misunderstood. Yunho is not my friend. I didn’t tell him. And you need to realize that you can’t control my life like this. I don’t care anymore. Maybe I did ruin your marriage but I’ve repented for it, I’ve suffered and I think this is enough. You can’t ruin my life, dad! Get back to your senses and don’t drink anymore because it only makes you do the wrong things!” Junsu yelled, tears falling from his eyes as he finally claimed his life back.
Those words only seemed to anger his father more. Without a warning, he swung his fist. Junsu swore he could hear his own nose breaking and his hands flung to his face. He moaned in pain when his hands pressed softly on his nose. More hits followed and even though Junsu had imagined his words to trigger anger, he wasn’t prepared at all. Everything just went too fast. Disorientated, all he could do was whimper softly with each blow that made contact with his skin.
“I can’t ruin your life but you can ruin mine? I think it’d be only logical if we trade fairly. A life for a life, right, Junsu-yah?” his father grabbed Junsu’s hair and pulled him up, staring his son right in the face before delivering another blow to his face.
That did it. Before Junsu knew it, he was struggling with his father, trying to break free from the stern grip. Without him even realizing, they had moved to the living room and Junsu saw his chances of escaping become slimmer and slimmer. Finally, he managed to get his arms out of his father’s grip and before he knew it, he was hitting his father with all his might.
Of course he wasn’t strong enough. Of course he wasn’t able to hurt his father.
But Junsu had never expected the following move from his father.
“You even dare to hit your own father? Disrespectful bastard, I should have raised you better.” His father yelled and from then on, everything went so fast. Too fast for Junsu to react.
The hands of his father found one of the empty beer bottles lying on the table and before Junsu could do anything, the heavy bottle made contact with his head. He could hear the beer bottle breaking as it touched his skull and before he knew it, he was falling to the ground. His body made contact with the ground and then... everything went black.
The man who had called himself his father looked shocked into the unseeing eyes of Junsu. Blood trickled down his son’s face, contrasting starkly with his son’s pale white complexion. But what shocked him the most was the accusing gaze in Junsu’s unseeing eyes.
-----------------
A/N: I'm sorry for the late update but really, this chapter is soooo out of proportion!! It's 3 times the size of a normal chapter of Bruised LOL so I guess this makes up for the delay. XD A lot of things happened in this chapter so I hope I haven't angered too many readers with the unexpected turn at the end.
Pairing: Yoochun x Junsu, evil!Yunho x Jaejoong (slight)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: They will never be mine unless I manage to find a way to kidnap them and hide them in my closet 8D
Genre: AU, angst, drama, romance
Length: Chaptered
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, violence, abuse
Summary: Junsu's life has been a mess since his parents divorced two years ago. When it seems like there's no more hope left for his future, Yoochun appears into his life. Will Yoochun be able to change Junsu's lifestyle? Or will his good intentions make things even worse for Junsu?
Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6
Chapter 7
“Where are you going?” the cold voice of Yunho echoed through the empty hallway, the threatening tone sending shivers down Junsu’s spine. Before the young boy could think of a method to escape (we’re talking about an escape with a high success rate because trying to jump a hole through the wall wouldn’t be very… well, rational), Jaejoong and Yunho inched closer to him.
“I… I have an appointment,” Junsu stammered, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment and nervousness. He didn’t know if he had just imagined the threatening tone in Yunho’s voice but it certainly didn’t seem like that. But why would he sound threatening towards him? The only thing he had been saying to Yunho and Jaejoong the past years were his greetings. He hadn’t wronged them. Junsu let out a breathe, relaxed his shoulders and put on his poker face. Right. He could talk himself out of this. Or well, that’s what he hoped with all his might. “If you could excuse me…” he mumbled, trying to shuffle away.
“Again?” Jaejoong said, putting his arm against the wall, his face coming closer and closer to Junsu’s. As Jaejoong spoke, Junsu swore he smelled the faint fragrance of vanilla. His heart started thumping faster and faster as he realized there was no way for him to escape. “I don’t think you have attended any PE lesson this whole year… you’ve always been ill or you always had something to attend. That’s very curious, isn’t it?” Jaejoong tilted his head slightly as if asking a question but Junsu knew that his words weren’t meant as questions.
He swallowed. He was definitely in trouble and there was only a slight possibility that he would be able to escape. Junsu tried to look for any way to escape, maybe even a teacher to save him… but there was nothing. Little beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, slowly trickling down his face. “I’ve always had an unstable health. This requires frequent visits to the doctor to monitor everything. I wouldn’t want to miss anything important classes so PE is the only possibility I have left. Now, I have to catch my bus…”
Again, he tried to walk away but Jaejoong’s arm didn’t budge. Irritation was written in Junsu’s eyes, for a moment overshadowing the obvious fear. What the hell was this? “Then… why did you never go to the doctor? You always went to hmmm… the library, book stores, the supermarket and sometimes, you even stayed in the canteen. But you never went to the doctor. Care to explain?” A small and triumphant smile appeared on Yunho’s face.
“Did you send someone to shadow me? Tch, as if you’ve never skipped school.” Junsu spat. The smile on Yunho’s face grew even wider, his white teeth almost blinding Junsu. God, how he wanted to hit that smile off his face.
“So you’re admitting that you’ve been skipping classes? Well, we should definitely teach you some lessons, Junsu-yah,” the evil glisten that appeared on both faces didn’t escape Junsu’s attention. Another shiver ran down his spine as he didn’t know if their words were meant figuratively or literally. Or maybe even both.
Before Junsu could say another word, he felt both men grab one of his arms and they started to pull him through the hallway. He tried to struggle, he tried to pull his arms out of the iron grips of the men, he tried to kick their feet and legs, he tried to scream for help and he tried to bite the hand which covered his mouth… but he wasn’t strong enough for the men who went at least four times a week to the sport school. What were they going to do with him? Desperate tears were fighting their way to his eyes but he refused to cry.
Before he knew it, they were standing in the locker room. Junsu still struggled, afraid of the intentions these boys had. They already knew he had been skipping school… they had been shadowing him or they had sent someone to shadow him… what if… what if they knew? His insides turned into ice just thinking about that possibility.
He could see the strange looks his classmates gave them when they entered. He could see Changmin’s surprised face and he could see the smiles on the faces of the friends of Yunho and Jaejoong. Junsu just knew that this wasn’t going to end well.
“We’ll show everyone what will happen when you make fun of us.” The loud voice of Yunho echoed through the locker room. Junsu could barely register anything that happened around him, still trying to break free from the iron grip of Yunho and Jaejoong.
“I see your little friend Yoochun isn’t here yet,” Jaejoong smirked, “but boy, will he be surprised when he’ll see you. He’ll never try to degrade us ever again.”
So… Yoochun was the reason of this? Junsu bit his lip, his eyes wandering through the locker room. He had finally stopped struggling at the revelation of the real reason behind this all, too surprised to move his limbs. Before he could stop himself, he burst out laughing. The surprised faces of Yunho and Jaejoong revealed that this had been a wrong moment to laugh - that, or they thought that he had gone insane. Well, either way, he wasn’t going to bow down for them and kiss their asses. Not when Junsu knew they had other plans for him. Or well… plans for Yoochun.
“Really? Is this the reason you’ve been doing this? Why you’ve been following me for days, probably even weeks? Is this the reason? Your damn pride?” Junsu chuckled, “You want to take revenge on Yoochun only because he didn’t want to become friends with you? And wait… you’re using me to carry out these sick plans? You guys are pathetic.”
Before he had even pronounced the last syllable of his sentence, he felt a pain shooting through his stomach. He gasped for air, his arms flying free from the stern grip of Yunho and Jaejoong as they hurried to cover his stomach. At the same time, all the energy seemed to disappear from his legs and his knees gave out. Staring at the floor, he huffed in pain, surprised that his classmate would punch him this easily.
He could hear the sudden outbursts of gasps and whispers from his surroundings but nobody seemed to dare to say anything. Junsu chuckled, the sound drenched with contempt. He knew that Yunho and Jaejoong were big in his class, they were rich and popular people nobody dared to thwart. But this…? He hadn’t expected their power to be this big, to the point that his classmates wouldn’t even dare to help him when Yunho and Jaejoong were obviously abusing their power.
As soon as the unexpected sound of his laughter escaped from his mouth, he could feel the long fingers of someone, probably Yunho, grip his hair firmly, pulling his head back. From the corner of his eye, Junsu could sense the head of the boy coming closer and closer, until Yunho’s mouth was only a few inches apart from his ear. His mouth opened and moved slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly even though he was whispering. “You think this is funny? I guess you’ve become immune to beatings,” Yunho paused before continuing, a slight smile painting his face, “seeing you had to experience so many of them at home.”
He knew. The expression of utter shock appeared on Junsu’s face as fear started to spread through his insides, turning his whole body cold. Shit. He knew. Who else knew? Junsu’s eyes darted through the room but all he saw were those awful smiles. Those awful grins, telling him his social life was going to end as soon as everyone in this small room would hear about his little secret. Shit, shit, shit!
Shocked thoughts started to jump through each other, emotions began to swirl around each other and all that was left was confusion, panic and utter fear. He could feel the hand tighten its grip on his hair, followed by a harsh pull but he didn’t have the energy anymore to fight them. Junsu knew… he knew if he’d resist, he knew that Yunho would betray his secret. He knew that his stinging eyes filled with panic would betray him soon by spilling over salty moisture. But he refused to cry. He wouldn’t give the little dignity he had left to these pathetic guys.
Suddenly, a quiet but strong voice spoke. “You should stop this. Junsu hasn’t done anything wrong to you and neither did Yoochun. Is it wrong to voice your opinion? South-Korea isn’t a stratocracy and neither is our class. If you want to fight this out with Yoochun, I won’t stop you, but do it fairly and don’t use innocent people.” Surprised, Junsu searched to find the source of the voice, though he knew who had spoken without even thinking. His body had reacted to the calm and clear voice, yearning to break free from the cold hands and go to the warm and gentle person. Yet, the cold hands kept their strong grip on his arms and hair, not allowing him to go to Changmin.
He saw Changmin standing up, his normally innocent face serious and furious. No, please don’t let him do anything stupid... He had never seen this side of his friend before; Changmin’s eyes seemed to throw fire as he moved closer to Yunho. This was a side he had never seen of his friend, a friend who had never dared to break any rules. But also a friend who didn’t just stand by the sidelines when he saw injustice or when he saw his own friends getting hurt.
“Aw, how cute. So you’re taking the side of your helpless friend? I had expected a wiser decision from such a smart person as you.” Jaejoong said, laughing. He was soon joined by his friends, a few of them bursting out in laughter while others chuckled nervously. Without any warning, Junsu could feel a hard fist connect with his jaw, so hard that the iron grip of Yunho on his hair couldn’t stop his frail body from flying through the room.
A surprised yelp escaped from his lips as soon as his body made contact with the floor. Panting while trying to ignore the pain, he stumbled back on his feet as he tried to look at his two classmates with the most hateful glare he could come up with. He probably appeared disorientated and dizzy instead of strong and full of hate but well… did that matter right now?
His gaze, however, was caught by a tall figure walking so fast that his already dizzy brain could only register a blurry motion before he heard a fist making contact with skin, followed by a yelp of pain. “Fucking bastard, fight like a man!” Changmin spat, his voice drenched with nothing but despise as he panted, his chest heaving from the effort it had taken him to put all his power into that one blow.
Jaejoong bit his lip, his normally beautiful face contorted in anger, and for a second, Junsu knew this was going to end badly. He saw Jaejoong’s body moving closer to Changmin, his arm pulled out, hand balled into a fist… but before Junsu could do something to stop his classmates from beating each other to a bloody pulp, a low chuckle escaped from Yunho’s lips. Surprised, everyone’s attention turned to the tall guy who walked towards Jaejoong and put a hand on his shoulder, a gesture obviously meant to calm the boy down.
“Changmin is right. I’ve changed my mind. We shouldn’t use unfair methods like this. We should fight like men… but well, Junsu has been absent for so many times. Wouldn’t it be great if he’s going to join our little PE lesson? I think that the first step is going to be… changing into other clothes. Your appointment can wait, my boy,” Yunho said as he nodded slowly.
Immediately after he said these words, Junsu could see Jaejoong changing directions and inching closer to him. His heart stood still as Junsu slowly moved backwards. No, no, no, this wasn’t happening. He wished he could disappear from this mess and prevent the plans of his classmates. He knew they were vain… he knew they cared about their reputation… but he had never thought they would go this far.
Everything went into slow motion. The whole room watched, some people too confused to realize what was going to happen while other people looked disapprovingly, though at the same time Junsu swore he saw a glint of curiosity in their eyes. He saw mouths moving, some whispering to each other while others were screaming words his mind didn’t seem to register. He saw the evil glint in Jaejoong’s eyes as he slowly moved closer and closer, he saw Jaejoong slowly stretching his hand out, reaching for his shirt… and before Junsu knew it, Jaejoong’s hand had been placed firmly on his shirt, slowly balling into a fist, ready to show the whole class his bruised stomach.
“What are you doing?” a calm and low voice sounded through the locker room. Everyone’s attention shifted to the newcomer and even Jaejoong halted for a few seconds. Those seconds were enough for Junsu to regain his composure as his trembling hands pushed Jaejoong far, far away from him. Without even realizing, his feet were moving and he was running as fast as he could towards the door, a desperate attempt to escape from this nightmare.
He knocked the newcomer from his path as he kept running and running, his feet moving faster than they had ever done before. He had to run, he had to run before people would realize what had been going on… Junsu knew Yunho and Jaejoong were one of the most athletic people of his class, no, even of his school. But he had to try. He had to outrun them.
He was running through the hallways, knocking students out of his way, fear pumping through his veins as he was too confused to even register any obstacles in his path. He was running. His heart was beating into his ears, blood was rushing to his head and his lungs were trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible as his burning legs kept moving.
He didn’t dare to look back. Not even when his desperate fingers had finally opened the door, the door to freedom, not even when his feet had stepped onto the fresh fallen snow and not even when his body had left the school ground. He kept running, running away from that place with people who had intended to hurt him. That place with people who had intended to reveal his secret.
Finally, after he had removed himself far enough from that hell, he stopped. Only then did he realize that it was snowing. Only then did he realize why his lungs had been throbbing with each inhale he had taken, the painfully cold air cutting through his air pipe. Only then did he realize that his heart had been beating too fast for his own good, his warm and sweating body contrasting strongly against the cold, cold air. Only then did he realize the tears of hurt running down his face and only then did he realize that they had frozen on their way down. Only then did he realize that every breath he took was painfully cold and every breath he exhaled formed clouds into the air. Only then did he realize that it was freezing outside, white crystals falling down the sky, and only then did he realize that he was standing outside without his jacket.
Only then did he realize he had no idea where he really was.
~
“What are you doing?” Yoochun asked, his low and calm voice contrasting starkly against the turmoil in his body. He didn’t know what he had to do in order to prevent Yunho and Jaejoong from hurting Junsu, from revealing his secret, but he was willing to do anything to stop them. The first step was keeping his composure and finding a way to get Junsu out of here.
Many heads turned into his direction and his words halted Jaejoong for a few seconds. Those seconds were enough for Junsu to make use of the opportunity as he pushed Jaejoong away and continued to run as fast as his legs could carry him to the doorpost. Yoochun could just barely dodge his friend as he ran away. Err… apparently, the first step had been easier to fulfill than he had thought. Too bad he hadn’t thought further than the first step.
“Go after him, Siwon,” Yunho gestured to a tall and handsome boy. Siwon was perfect for Yunho’s group of brainless henchmen; he was handsome, rich, had chocolate abs that would make every girl swoon, and had as much brains in his head as Yoochun had in his little pinky. As soon as Siwon made an effort to go after Junsu, Yoochun returned back to the doorway, his body blocking the exit. There was no way he was going to win a fight against Yunho and his friends but it was definitely worth losing a few teeth if he could save Junsu with it.
“Too bad I’m not letting you leave,” Yoochun said, a faint smile painting his face as his fist made contact with Siwon’s jaw. After that, everything seemed to speed up. He heard screams, probably a few shocked ones from his classmates mixed with the scream of pain coming from Siwon’s mouth, and he heard Yunho yelling things he didn’t register. He jumped on top of the boy who had fallen on the floor after the blow and suddenly, he was fighting with one of the strongest boys in his class, his fist making contact with everything he managed to hit.
He heard Siwon cursing as Siwon’s own hands found their way to Yoochun’s chest, trying to push him off his own chest. However, Yoochun refused to move; no way he was going to be such an easy match. Fist after fist made contact with Siwon’s face, his chest, and it was so weird to find himself actually stronger than this opponent. It was true that Yoochun had worked out in the States but he hadn’t done anything since he first arrived in Korea. Also, he wasn’t as muscular as the boy beneath him.
However, his joy was short-lived. Suddenly, he felt firm hands on his shoulders, pulling him off Siwon. Yoochun had only enough time to realize it was Yunho before he felt a hard blow against his jaw. He didn’t even feel the pain anymore, adrenaline rushing through his veins, as Yoochun fought back. Each blow was filled with hatred towards his classmate, each strike was filled with despise and each slap was filled with as much power as he could muster. Each blow, strike and slap was for Junsu.
Yoochun was sure he had hit Yunho more times than Yunho had hit him and he knew that Yunho would be hurting like hell after today. The more, the better.
“PARK! JUNG! KIM! SHIM! CHOI! STOP IT.” Yoochun’s moment of glory was short-lived as the booming voice of his teacher sounded through the room. The sound of authority stopped everyone in the room, though Yoochun couldn’t help himself but continue to stare with utter disgust and hate at Yunho. His attention soon shifted as he noticed that the entire locker room had been in complete chaos. Several guys were standing by the teacher and Yoochun assumed they had gotten the teacher here. Some guys were standing helplessly, their hands useless in the air as if they had been trying to calm everyone down. Others were standing, laughing, as if they had picked a team to support. But the person who had grabbed his attention was Changmin.
His face was one bloody mess, his lip and nose bleeding and his left eyelid was drooping over his swollen eye. That wasn’t going to look nicely in a few hours… There was blood on his fist too and Yoochun’s gaze shifted to Jaejoong, who was looking even worse than Changmin. Something in him was happy to see how much damage Changmin had done to the pretty face of that jerk. Served him right.
There was also Siwon who looked beaten up as well, though not nearly as bad as Jaejoong. But... Yoochun hadn't beaten him that much, had he? And then… it dawned upon Yoochun how strong Changmin must be. He hadn’t noticed Changmin fighting on his side and neither had he noticed him taking on two boys at the same time. What the hell? Yoochun had always seen the boy with his nose in the books, always answering the teacher’s questions… he had never thought him to be this strong.
“COME WITH ME. NOW. You guys are going to the headmaster.” the voice of their teacher sounded and Yoochun would have definitely obeyed him... if it wasn't for the fact that he suddenly realized the reason why they had been fighting.
Shit! Where was Junsu now?
"I'm sorry, but I have to do something first. I'll go to the headmaster tomorrow," Yoochun said, running before the teacher could realize what the boy had really said. He heard shouts behind him, even an I'll get you expelled if you don't come now, Park! but he didn't care. Junsu was more important at the moment. And he was sure that his mother would be able to bribe his school with money anyway.
Running, he grabbed his jacket from the rack and hurried outside. He didn't pay attention to the falling snow as he grabbed his phone, dialing Junsu's number. After a few seconds, a wave of relief flowed through him as he heard a trembling but familiar voice. "H-hello?"
"Jesus, Junsu, where are you?" Yoochun said, still running even though he had no idea if he was going to the right direction. His face was painfully throbbing though he didn't know if it was because of the cold or because of his injuries. He didn't even know what he looked like right now - maybe he looked like a thug, maybe he looked like a helpless boy but he certainly didn’t look like a prince.
"I-I don't know," the trembling voice on the other line said, followed by a short silence. It was a silence broken by the sound of chattering teeth and it almost sounded as if Junsu was crying, though Yoochun couldn't tell for sure. "I'm so scared... it-it's so cold..."
"Shit, Junsu, please describe me how the neighborhood looks like. Can't you ask a passerby?" Yoochun said, trying to keep his composure though this was practically impossible. "Please tell me, do you remember which direction you went after you left the school?"
"I-I don't know... I think to the right but I'm not sure... e-everything seems so blurry," Junsu's voice spoke. Yoochun was sure that he was sobbing right now and it broke his heart to hear his friend like this. "I have no idea where I am... all I see is snow and trees and it's s-so cold."
Snow and trees? It didn't sound as if Junsu was close to civilization. "Stay calm, stay calm... I'm here with you." Yoochun said, running to the right. There were several footprints on the snow and Yoochun was sure that one of them had to belong to Junsu. The further he seemed to get from his school, the less footprints there were left. Fresh snow was falling from the sky but the footprints were still clearly visible. "Calm down... try to remember how you walked."
"I think... I think I went to the left at the roundabout though I-I'm not sure." Junsu said after a short silence. That was enough for Yoochun to realize which footprints were from Junsu. Not many people had been walking on the freshly fallen snow and the footprints he had been following since school were the only footprints who had turned to the left. He was pretty sure that they were Junsu's.
~
All he heard was Yoochun's voice. His low voice was the only thing that kept him from going insane. He was surrounded by snow, trees and one single road and his surroundings didn't seem familiar at all even though he had lived his whole life in Seoul. There were no houses, only a few buildings looking like they could collapse every moment, and the few people who walked by looked very sinister. There were no cars and the only thing that connected him with society seemed to be his phone.
Even though he was so scared of the few people walking by (what if they were sent by Yunho? What if they wanted his money? What if they wanted his virginity?), nobody seemed to particularly care about the trembling boy sitting on the ground. He was listening to Yoochun's voice, only humming once in a while to appear interested in the conversation, though really... all he really wanted was hearing Yoochun's voice. He didn't care about what his friend was saying.
And then, without a warning... the line went dead.
What?! Panicked, Junsu looked at his phone but no matter what he did, all he saw was a black screen. Right, the moment he needed his phone the most, his battery decided to die. Well, if this wasn't a moment to post on FML... too bad the only method he had to post it there was, well, his phone.
But suddenly, he found himself all alone in the middle of nowhere. Fear intruded his cold body and thoughts started to race through his head. Without the soothing and calming voice of Yoochun in his ear, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He had to get out of here. Suddenly, the uninterested people who had walked by a few minutes seemed a lot more interested into him. Suddenly, he felt so vulnerable while the feeling of security had been wrapped tightly around him just a moment ago.
Shit, shit, shit, he had to get out of here.
He stood up, his legs trembling as he could feel the blood rushing back to his legs. His whole body was shivering, only protected from the cold by two layers of clothing, one thinner than the other. Little white crystals were still falling from the sky, instantly melting when they made contact with his skin.
He started walking, walking away from this unknown place with scary people. Junsu had no idea where he had to go but the first thing he had to do was getting to a place where he was able to muster enough courage to ask directions. The best thing he could do was walking back the path he had taken to get here - if he could still remember that.
Fear was bottling up in his small body as he walked as fast as possible. His numb body was slowed down by the cold, shivering with each step he took, and he could swear that people were staring at him causing his discomfort to grow even more. He started to walk faster and faster, his sped up breathing leaving little clouds in the air.
And then... suddenly, he saw a person running towards him. He seemed vaguely familiar and even though Junsu didn't know for sure if it was Yoochun, a spark of hope lit through him. His pace sped up, the distance between him and the stranger decreasing rapidly.
Before he knew it, he was in the arms of Yoochun. He shut his eyes as he buried his face in the chest of Yoochun, inhaling the familiar scent of his friend. The scent that told him that everything was okay, that he was safe, that Yoochun was here. And before he knew it, he was sobbing. His entire body shook as tears of relief rolled over his cheeks. All the tension seemed to disappear from his body now that he knew that Yoochun was here for him.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry… I’m here…” the soothing voice of Yoochun whispered in his ear. It made Junsu cry even harder and he pulled Yoochun closer to his own small frame. Hands started rubbing his arms, calm words were whispered into his ear and Junsu had never felt so safe, so warm and so loved before.
“I’m so happy… so happy you found me. So happy you saved me.” Junsu whispered, his breath hitching with every word he spoke. It was humiliating to show this side of him, this weak and vulnerable side, but at the same time he didn’t care. The events that had occurred the last two hours had made him feel so scared, so cold and so vulnerable. Now that Yoochun had appeared at his side, radiating warmth and strength, Junsu felt safe again. He felt whole again.
Even though he would have been able to stand like this for ages, Yoochun soon pulled away. “You little crybaby,” he laughed when he saw Junsu sobbing his eyes out. His big hands reached out, his slender fingers wiping the falling tears away gently. “This is the last time I want to see you cry. In the future, there will be no reason to cry. I’ll make you happy, I’ll protect you.”
Junsu’s cheeks turned red when he heard those words. Yet, he couldn’t suppress the little smile appearing on his face and soon, he found himself laughing through the tears.
“So don’t cry anymore, okay?” Yoochun said, his voice gentle, before his face slowly moved closer. Junsu’s heart started beating faster and faster… and then, he felt soft lips making contact with his cheeks as they kissed away his falling tears. When the lips finally reached his left eye, Yoochun repeated the same process with his right cheek. “Don’t cry anymore,” he whispered softly.
Junsu smiled, genuine happiness touching his eyes. “I won’t.”
“That’s a promise then,” Yoochun smiled. After those words, he pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “You silly, your lips are all blue. Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?”
Even though Junsu protested - he had never felt so warm and happy in his whole life - Yoochun ignored it and soon, Junsu found his jacket draped on his shoulders. He opened his mouth to protest again but it was only then that Junsu realized how bad Yoochun looked. A gasp escaped from his lips as he observed the beaten up face of his friend. “Jesus, what happened to your face?” he said, his eyes widening in shock. He reached out his hand, carefully touching the split lip of his friend.
“Yeah, Yunho,” Yoochun grimaced but then he continued with a smirk on his face, “Don’t worry, girls will love this. Especially if they hear the story behind it. And really… Yunho is looking ten times worse than me right now, I bet his mother will faint when she’ll see her son’s beautiful face. The same goes for Jaejoong, though I think his mother will get an instant heart attack. You should have seen Changmin, Junsu! He took on Jaejoong and Siwon at the same time on his own. I can’t believe how strong he is!”
“Ch-changmin? He beat up Jaejoong and Siwon?!” Junsu exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. How was that even possible? Many girls had been drooling over the athletic build of the two guys, always exclaiming how strong they were and how handsome they were. They were known for their strength. However, Changmin had been someone who had been known for… well, his intelligence. Junsu would have never expected Changmin to be able to take on Jaejoong, let alone Jaejoong and Siwon at the same time.
“You should have seen them,” Yoochun chuckled, “They were probably expecting a fast win when they took on Changmin but really… Jaejoong’s pretty face is near unrecognizable right now. Serves him right.”
“His face is… unrecognizable? Changmin did that for - for me?” Junsu stuttered, dumbfounded.
“His face fits his personality now. Let’s see how many girls he will attract in the coming days,” Yoochun chuckled. “But we should walk back, shouldn’t we? I don’t like the looks we’re getting from the people around us. Guess they’ve never seen true love.”
Junsu laughed. “I guess they have never seen two guys who are in love with each other.”
“Well, then we should give them a good look, right?” a mischievous smile appeared on Yoochun’s face before he pulled Junsu closer, their lips meeting again.
~
It had been a long time since Junsu had felt this good. He felt so light, his mind floating in pink clouds, and every step he took seemed weightless. Instead of walking, it seemed as if he was soaring. It was hard when he had to say goodbye to Yoochun but Junsu knew he didn’t have to be greedy. This was just the beginning of their relationship and there were many more days to come.
He had never thought he could have been homosexual. But it didn’t seem to be wrong, not when it was so easy to be around Yoochun, not when Yoochun was able to make him feel alive again. Of course, it was hard to be homosexual in Korean society… but Junsu already knew that as long as he had Yoochun, he would be able to deal with it. Together, they would stand strong.
Why should he be judged when he was just falling in love like every other human being? He couldn’t control who he’d love. And Junsu knew… if he wasn’t allowed to love Yoochun, he’d rather not love anyone at all. His heart was fluttering, butterflies were flying through his stomach and he seemed to soar. He didn’t feel like a whole different person, now that he had realized that he was homosexual. He only felt happier.
With a carefree smile on his face, he unlocked the door to his house. As soon as he opened the door, the tense atmosphere hit him. His face fell immediately and his eyes searched through the rooms. There was something off. The smell of cigarettes intruded his nose as he moved further into his house and his body tensed up. It had been so long since his father had smoked.
Shit. And his father had just realized his own mistakes yesterday. What could this possibly mean?
Junsu’s question was soon answered as he found his father sitting on the couch, bringing a lit cigarette to his lips. The empty bottles of alcohol on the table and the ground were alarmingly many and every single cell in his body was screaming to him to get out of here. However, his body refused to move, frozen to the ground.
“So there you are… son of a bitch,” his father spit, jumping up from the couch. Seeing how many he had drunk already, it surprised Junsu how well his father’s balance was. He didn’t have much time to admire it, though, as his father lunged to him. Before Junsu knew it, he was running. He didn’t care anymore, as long as he got out of here. He wasn’t going to behave like the good son and get beaten up again.
His father stumbled after him but with the amount of alcohol he had drunk, it was hard to go after his son. The door came closer and closer to Junsu and he stretched his arm out, ready to open it as soon as he could touch the door handle. To his relief, he reached the door in time, his father still stumbling somewhere in the hallway.
Junsu put pressure on the handle, wanting it to go down so he could open the door… but then, he realized he had locked the door from the inside when he had entered. Shit! He rumbled through his pockets, frantically searching for his keys. To his relief, he quickly found them but just when he was about to put them into the lock, he could feel strong hands around his throat.
His father pushed him against the wall and lifted him up, leaving Junsu gasping for air. The long fingers of his father tightened around his throat and Junsu didn’t even feel the keys slipping out of his hand, the only thing he wanted to do was breathe. He frantically began to struggle, kicking and hitting without having a goal. Pain started to cloud his mind as the lack of oxygen made it hard to think.
“Filthy bastard. You told your classmates I’ve been beating you up? You told your classmates you were planning to run away? No way I’m letting you! Beating you? Ha, I’ll show you what beating you up is. Planning to run away? When I’m done with you, you’re lucky if you can even crawl.” His father spit, tightening the hold on Junsu’s throat even more.
His eyes started to roll back into his head, black dots painting his vision. His lungs were burning and he was in desperate need of air. He wasn’t able to find the energy to struggle against the strong hold of his father and his arms and legs dangled lifelessly in the air. Junsu tried to find words, words to talk some sense into his father’s head, but he looked like a fish on the dry as his lips opened and closed, not enough oxygen to talk properly.
He was choking.
But he didn’t want to die yet. Not when he had just discovered true love.
His eyes started to burn and soon, tears found their way down his cheeks. “D-d-da-ad,” he gasped, each syllable hard to pronounce, “st-st-op.”
He was sure he was going to die. He was sure he would never see Yoochun’s face again. His beautiful face. His beautiful smile. Junsu didn’t know how he managed to sob, to sob while he could barely find the energy to move. He didn’t know how he managed to sob when his vision was invaded with black spots and he had barely any energy to keep his eyes open.
And then… the pressure on his throat disappeared. Junsu fell on the ground, his body limp, as he gasped for air. He was coughing, trying to cough the irritation in his throat away, but at the same time he was trying to fill his lungs with as much air as possible. This resulted in another coughing fit and when this was finally over, he lay on the ground, feeling like a big and useless garbage bag.
He felt so pathetic.
The only thing he could do was gasp for air, his breathing irregular, as he laid on the ground. His body was trembling uncontrollably and he seemed to have no energy left to stand up and face his father. A bitter smile appeared on Junsu’s face. How long did he have to continue living like this? How would Yoochun react when he’d see this pathetic appearance of him? When he had sacrificed his own body to keep Junsu’s secret protected?
“You’re so pathetic. Telling those lies to your friend,” his father said and Junsu could feel a pain shooting through his abdomen as his father kicked him. He gasped for air as he tried to make himself as small as possible, his arms curling protectively around his body.
“What friend? I didn’t tell anyone,” Junsu said, panting because of the pain. Technically, that wasn’t true but he was certain that Yoochun wouldn’t tell anyone else about his secret. And except for Yoochun, he hadn't told anybody.
“You’re even lying to me? Your own father? I should have raised you better, you’re still taking after that bitch,” his father spit, a look of disgust painting his face, “Your friend called. Yun-Yunhee or something? Yunhae? Yunho? I can’t rememberrrrr… He told me he was going to call the fucking child welfare centre. Well, let’s see if you dare to talk when I’m done with you. Let’s see if you’re still able to talk.”
Yunho? Yunho did this to him? Junsu hissed, disgust written all over his face. He couldn’t believe that Yunho was so burned on ruining his life like this. Suddenly, he felt strength returning to his legs and he scrambled to his feet. He was done with it. He would show everyone that he was stronger than he seemed. He would show everyone that he could fight for his life. He would show Yunho who thought he was an easy target. He would show Yoochun that he wasn’t a fragile being but someone who was able to protect him as well. He would show his father who needed to get back to his senses.
Yunho couldn’t ruin his life like this. His father couldn’t ruin his life like this. Why did he always have to suffer because of his father’s mood swings? What had he done wrong? “Dad, I think you’ve misunderstood. Yunho is not my friend. I didn’t tell him. And you need to realize that you can’t control my life like this. I don’t care anymore. Maybe I did ruin your marriage but I’ve repented for it, I’ve suffered and I think this is enough. You can’t ruin my life, dad! Get back to your senses and don’t drink anymore because it only makes you do the wrong things!” Junsu yelled, tears falling from his eyes as he finally claimed his life back.
Those words only seemed to anger his father more. Without a warning, he swung his fist. Junsu swore he could hear his own nose breaking and his hands flung to his face. He moaned in pain when his hands pressed softly on his nose. More hits followed and even though Junsu had imagined his words to trigger anger, he wasn’t prepared at all. Everything just went too fast. Disorientated, all he could do was whimper softly with each blow that made contact with his skin.
“I can’t ruin your life but you can ruin mine? I think it’d be only logical if we trade fairly. A life for a life, right, Junsu-yah?” his father grabbed Junsu’s hair and pulled him up, staring his son right in the face before delivering another blow to his face.
That did it. Before Junsu knew it, he was struggling with his father, trying to break free from the stern grip. Without him even realizing, they had moved to the living room and Junsu saw his chances of escaping become slimmer and slimmer. Finally, he managed to get his arms out of his father’s grip and before he knew it, he was hitting his father with all his might.
Of course he wasn’t strong enough. Of course he wasn’t able to hurt his father.
But Junsu had never expected the following move from his father.
“You even dare to hit your own father? Disrespectful bastard, I should have raised you better.” His father yelled and from then on, everything went so fast. Too fast for Junsu to react.
The hands of his father found one of the empty beer bottles lying on the table and before Junsu could do anything, the heavy bottle made contact with his head. He could hear the beer bottle breaking as it touched his skull and before he knew it, he was falling to the ground. His body made contact with the ground and then... everything went black.
The man who had called himself his father looked shocked into the unseeing eyes of Junsu. Blood trickled down his son’s face, contrasting starkly with his son’s pale white complexion. But what shocked him the most was the accusing gaze in Junsu’s unseeing eyes.
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A/N: I'm sorry for the late update but really, this chapter is soooo out of proportion!! It's 3 times the size of a normal chapter of Bruised LOL so I guess this makes up for the delay. XD A lot of things happened in this chapter so I hope I haven't angered too many readers with the unexpected turn at the end.